Music students perform classical pieces in recital

The acoustics of Mayo Concert Hall reverberated with the sound of classical music as part of the Department of Music’s “Tuesday Afternoon Recital Series at 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 30. Enchanted with the variety of musicianship, campus community members lent their ears to the music of a different era.

Schlomann sings an English ballad. (Meagan McDowell / Photo Editor)

First up was Matthew Schlomann, a sophomore music education major, who was accompanied by staff pianist Stefanie Watson. Schlomann sang “Weep You No More Sad Fountains” by Roger Quilter (1877-1953). The song is described as a melancholy English ballad that also has metaphorical lyrics as it talks of sadness and how easily it comes and goes in one’s life.

Next to take the stage was flutist Amandalis Barrood, a junior music education major. Barrood was accompanied by Kathy Shanklin, another pianist in the department.

Barrood played a Flute Concerto Opus 17 piece by Bernhard Romberg (1761-1841). Filled with melodic progressions, the performance was played at andantino grazioso, which is a slightly faster rate than a normal piece.

Steven Plattman, a junior accounting and music double major, was up next with his trumpet in hand, ready to put on a show. Accompanied by Shanklin as well, Plattman played, “The Hollow Man” by Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987).

For the second half of his performance, Plattman reached to his left to grab a trumpet straight mute. The musical device is usually meant for brass instruments and it simply lowers the volume and alters the tone quality of the instrument or its timbre. It gave the trumpet a nasally sound as almost if it were congested, with a harsher sound to it.

Another flute performance was given by Emma Schell, a sophomore music education major. Schell played “Density 21.5” by Edgar Varèse (1883-1965).

The piece also incorporated a technique that Varèse and other 20th-century composers were known to incorporate into their pieces called “key clicks.” A key click is a playing technique that gives off a almost a flat tapping sound. For a key click to happen, the musician must properly slap the necessary key, it can be done with or without playing the flute itself. The incorporation of the key clicks gave a transition from the normal pitch of Schell’s playing.

The last performance of the afternoon was by Alexis Silverman, a junior music education major, who played a bass clarinet for the recital. She played a ballad by Eugene Bozza (1905-1991), and the number was also accompanied by Shanklin.

“I liked the bass clarinet performance a lot, it was a good way to end the show,” said Rakieer Jennings, a senior engineering major. “Not often do you see someone play that instrument … It’s not in our everyday music.”

1 Comment on Music students perform classical pieces in recital

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